NextStop Blog

When and where was this week’s Flashback Friday photo taken? Well, I’ll tell ya!

Photo Courtesy of the Museum of Transportation

On March 12, 1964, Bi-State Development Agency arranged press showings of its 50 newly purchased air conditioned buses. The new additions to the fleet were supplied by General Motors (40) and Flexible Company (10).

The buses were shown to the press at Bi-State’s main shop yard in St. Louis. The new buses were also placed on public display at selected locations around the area.

According to the Museum of Transportation, the photo above is one of the new buses at a demonstration point in the heart of Downtown St. Louis. It was displayed right outside of the Old Courthouse.

This particular vehicle was visited by nearly 2,000 people in the two days it was on display there.

Also in March 1964, the first Ford Mustang rolled off the assembly line at Ford Motor Company and Merv Griffin’s game show Jeopardy! debuted on NBC with Art Fleming as the host.

There are several issues in this posting. I believe that the title should be listed as “air conditioned” buses, rather than “air conditions”. Also, the bus is parked in front of the Old Post Office, not the Old Courthouse.

Unfortunately, in this case the museum has mislabeled their photo. There’s no way that the bus could be parked in front of the courthouse, as the architecture of that building is much different than the post office.

I remember these buses very well and rode them many times in the 60’s and 70’s. What I remember most is the air conditioning unit making that humming sound in unison with the bus engine. It was like pure harmony riding them on the Page, Kingshighway, Wellston & Cass lines.